No doubt, you have heard about web hosting, but you may have questions about it. Here’s a simple explanation: when a company offers use of their servers so that others can make a website and “host” it there, that company is a web host and that service is “web hosting”. If you would like more information about choosing, maintaining or understanding web hosting, keep reading.
When searching for the right web hosting service, you need to remember the importance of a website running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without constant technical interruptions. Do your research, and know which companies are not just available and cheap, but reliable enough to trust with keeping your website up and running.
When choosing a web hosting service, refrain from going with the recommendation of friends or family who are not professionals. Though they may have had a good experience themselves with a certain provider, realize that their needs may be very simple compared to yours. Read reviews and advice from those who have needs similar to your own.
Choose a hosting service that allows you to instantly and easily view your web statistics. You will want to know things such as how many people are visiting your website and what pages they are viewing. You can even find out how long they stayed on your site, and what search words they used to find you. These can be important in the long run, so use a server who has these tools.
Don’t select a web hosting service that has enough space for you right now; select one that gives you room to grow. If you want to add data intensive things, like video or photos, you will need more space. Try to have access to at least 100 MB of space to ensure you have enough space for your site to develop.
Aside from selecting web hosting companies based on fewest outages, you should also make sure the web hosting company you choose automates your payments as well. If a company does not offer this, then that company is not worth using. Make sure you know what you are getting into, and choose wisely.
Look for different reviews on a web hosting service. If you know any webmasters personally, ask them which service they use and how much they pay. Compare different sources and look for reviews written by people who have a site similar to the kind of project you are working on.
Before signing on to a web hosting service and choosing a plan that meets your immediate needs, check to see what the process will be if you need to upgrade at a later date. Different types of plans may, or may not, support the services that you may want to add in the future. Make sure that your current plan can be easily converted to a more complex one without the need to start from scratch.
In short, web hosting can help others make sites and share their content online. We wish you success in your efforts to find a hosting provider that works for you.